Opel Plant In Hungary Receives Energ -Efficient Company Distinction

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Opel’s plant in Szentgotthard, Hungary earned the Energy-Efficient Company award last month for its continued contributions to reducing energy use, the Russelsheim-based automaker announced today.

The award recognizes companies who invest in the reduction of energy consumption and the awareness of the importance of energy efficiency. The Szentgotthard plant was also recognized for its contributions to the Virtual Power Plant Program, which publishes energy insights and results which are used to the benefit of other companies.

Opel says the Szentgotthárd facility lowered energy costs and reduced impact on the environment by 888 kilowatts through a variety of techniques. It uses smart windows, which with no electricity fill with gas to control the amount of light transmitted through it and a rooftop heating system which heats and cools using tailored temperature settings for specific areas of the building.

These simple solutions led to two larger environmentally friendly changes at the facility. Two new boilers were installed which separately control hot and warm water, improving combustion efficiency and reducing natural gas consumption by 23 percent and electrical power by 618 kilowatt hours. The plant now also uses a coolant system which operates based on both pressure and volume, allowing for power demand to decrease by about 270 kWh.

The award joins other awards given to GM for environmentally conscious initiatives, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for superior energy management.